Esther's absence of a good family support system has much to do with this. When Esther was only nine years old, her father passed away. In the later chapters of the book we get an innuendo from Plath that Esther's constant pain and mental health disorder might be attributed to the fact that she never had the opportunity to mourn the death of her father because her mother did not cry, let Esther cry, or even let her attend her father's funeral (Plath 248). This lets the reader know that Esther not only never learned how to grieve, but also never learned to cope with tragedy since a young age. .
In addition to that, her mother is an extremely unsympathetic person. She is insensitive to Esther's problems and feelings, leaving Esther emotionally alone. The lack of support from her parental figure leaves Esther alone in trying to figure out who she is and finding her role in the world. This is what ultimately contributes to the declination of her mental health. .
Even though the relationship between Esther and her mother does not receive as much attention compared to other relationships in Esther's life, it is evident that Plath frames most of the other relationships in Esther's life between two women as a maternal relationship. .
A role model in Esther's life was her boss, Jay Cee. Esther greatly admires Jay Cee because he offers her career advice in a harsh manner, but does so as a supportive mother would do. Although tough on her, Jay Cee played an important role in Esther's life because she needed someone in her life who could be more open minded about her writing career and guide her in the right direction. Esther needed someone like this because her mother is not supportive of the things that she wants to do. The reader can establish this when Esther says, "I wish I had a mother like Jay Cee. Then I'd know what to do" (Plath 58). Esther's life begins to gradually progress while she is under the influence of Jay Cee and she starts to realize that she can rely on Jay Cee as a mother figure in her life.